BENGALURU: Speculations are rife over a possible cabinet reshuffle with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah flying to New Delhi on Thursday evening. The CM and DyCM DK Shivakumar, are visiting Delhi to attend the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting to be held on Friday.
According to informed sources, the CM is likely to discuss with the party top brass the induction of former tribal welfare minister B Nagendra into the cabinet. Nagendra resigned in connection with the alleged illegal money transfer from state-run Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation Ltd.
Apart from attending the CWC meeting, Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar are likely to discuss the state’s political developments with the top brass leaders, including AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, LoP in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretaries KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala.
Siddaramaiah, who was facing the heat over various alleged scams in MUDA and ST Corporation, is beaming with confidence after the Congress’ victory in the recent by-polls to Sandur, Shiggaon, and Channapatna.
Since the Special Investigation Team (SIT) has given Nagendra a clean chit in the ST Corporation multi-crore scam, the Congress brass is most likely to give its nod to induct the former into the cabinet, said informed sources. Apart from the tribal welfare department, Nagendra was also the Ballari district in-charge minister.
“There is no urgency for a cabinet reshuffle for Siddaramaiah and also for the high command to change the KPCC president as no elections are due in the immediate future in Karnataka,” said a Congress leader.
“If Siddaramaiah effects a reshuffle ahead of the assembly session, it is like he is opening a can of worms and handing out a weapon to the BJP, which is a divided house. The BJP would set a narrative as the reshuffle was necessitated because the ministers were corrupt and inefficient,” the Congress leader added.
However, several ministers, including Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, admit to talks on the reshuffle and change in KPCC president. According to party insiders, Siddaramaiah’s man Friday and PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi, a ST Nayaka leader, and two Veerashaiva-Lingayats—Large Scale Industries Minister MB Patil and Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre—are among the frontrunners for the KPCC chief’s post.
Cooperation Minister KN Rajanna, also a ST Nayaka leader, also threw his hat in the ring, claiming that he too deserves to lead the party in the state.
The Congress high command, however, is not expected to appoint a new KPCC president in a hurry until it gets convinced that a leader who can match DK Shivakumar’s stature in the party can replace him. “Shivakumar had toiled hard when the party was in bad shape.
There was a pact between the CM, DyCM, Kharge, and high command leaders that a change in the guard should happen after two-and-a-half years... until then, any major change—both in the government and the party—is unlikely,” he said.